Request for Quote Brief: Compare Suppliers on the Same Scope

Copy the request brief

• Purpose: the problem and the outcome you need to assess.
• Deliverables: named outputs, quantity and the boundary of each.
• Customer inputs: text, photographs, access, decisions or materials you will supply.
• Constraints: timing dependencies, operating requirements and known limitations.
• Exclusions: work outside this request, including ongoing operation where relevant.
• Quote format: one-off charges, recurring charges, assumptions and optional items shown separately.
• Decision process: questions deadline, approver and the intended next step; do not promise an award date you cannot support.

Mark an unknown as a question. A supplier should not have to invent your requirements to make the brief look finished.

A fictional website request

“We need five public pages explaining our consultancy and collecting enquiries. We provide approved text and photographs. Include content entry and one consolidated review. Show hosting and maintenance separately. Exclude an online shop and custom booking integration. State what domain access you require and who performs launch checks.”

This is a sample procurement scope, not a statement of any particular supplier’s inclusions. It lets a provider identify missing inputs before quoting.

Ask suppliers to expose differences

Request a response against each deliverable: included, optional, excluded or requires clarification. Ask who writes missing copy and who updates it after launch. “Website included” does not resolve either question.

Keep desirable extras separate from mandatory requirements. Otherwise one supplier can quote a larger project and appear expensive while another silently leaves necessary work with your team.

Check before you send

Can two suppliers interpret the requested output in substantially the same way? Have you identified whose approval and inputs affect the schedule? Is confidential material being shared only through an appropriate channel?

When replies arrive, retain questions and answers with the same brief version. If scope changes, tell all suppliers still participating. The next task is comparison of received offers; this brief does not determine contractual obligations or replace the agreement you ultimately accept.